Crimes Committed in the West Bank and Gaza Prompt Washington's Move to Punish Netzah Yehuda

The United States approaches imposing new sanctions on "Israel," targeting this time a military battalion after taking a similar step against extremist settlers.

Axios reported on April 20, 2024, citing sources from the State Department, about Washington's intention to impose sanctions on the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, affiliated with the Israeli army, for its human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank.

This move drew sharp criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his ministers, despite Washington's appeasement of the Israeli Occupation through arms deals and ongoing military support.

The Sanctions Story

It began with the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury imposing sanctions on Zionist extremists involved in killings and intimidation of Palestinians in the West Bank, under the pretext of ensuring a future of two states in occupied Palestine and ending the conflict.

Since the Israeli aggression on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, the United States has issued three rounds of sanctions against settlers for committing violence against Palestinians.

On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Israeli entities for their role in raising funds for violent Zionist extremist associations.

One is the Hebron Hill Fund, which had already raised $140,000 for settlers, including Yinon Levi, who led a group of settlers attacking civilians and bedouins and burning their fields and properties.

The second entity is Shlom Asiraich, which raised $31,000 for David Chai Chasdai, who set fire to Palestinian vehicles and buildings, causing damage to properties in Huwara, Nablus, resulting in the death of a Palestinian civilian.

The European Union also announced on April 19, 2024, that it had approved sanctions against four individuals and two entities for the violent acts committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The EU Council noted in a statement that the listed entities include Lehava, a far-right Jewish group claiming Jewish superiority, and Hilltop Youth.

European newspapers stated that these actions aim to urge "Israel" to put an end to settler practices that threaten the region's stability and hinder the peace process.

Parallel to its ongoing war on Gaza for over six months, the Israeli army and settlers intensified their attacks in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, (al-Quds) resulting in the killing of 485 Palestinians, injuring nearly 5,000 others, and the arrest of over 8 individuals, according to concerned Palestinian institutions.

These settlers include Zionist soldiers and a whole brigade engaged in terrorist acts against Palestinians in the West Bank, consisting of radical Jewish soldiers. Therefore, a special committee affiliated with the U.S. State Department began investigating the allegations against them in late 2022.

All fingers pointed towards the Netzah Yehuda Battalion after reports emerged of its human rights violations and violent acts against Palestinian civilians, the most prominent being the killing of elderly Palestinian–American Omar Assad.

Axios revealed on April 20, 2024, that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against the Israeli Netzah Yehuda Battalion due to human rights violations in the occupied West Bank.

Blinken stated on April 19, 2024, that he had made "decisions" regarding charges against "Israel" for violating a set of U.S. laws prohibiting military assistance to those who commit serious human rights violations, according to Reuters.

The sanctions include prohibiting U.S. military aid to the battalion and denying its soldiers' participation in training with the U.S. military or any activity funded by the United States.

These punitive measures are based on the Leahy Law, named after former U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, enacted in 1997.

This law prohibits the U.S. military from providing military assistance or conducting training activities with military units, security forces, or police agencies found to be involved in human rights violations.

ProPublica revealed on April 17, 2024, that a special committee affiliated with the State Department informed Blinken that the United States must restrict arms sales to Israeli military units accused of committing human rights violations, including killings and rape.

However, the website confirmed that Blinken failed to take any action or act upon this suggestion in the face of increasing international criticism of the Israeli army's behavior in Gaza, according to current and former officials at the State Department.

Many officials at the State Department who worked on Israeli relations said Blinken's hesitation undermined public criticism of President Joe Biden, sending a message to Israelis that the administration was not prepared to take serious steps, according to ProPublica.

Quoting current and former officials at the State Department, the committee eventually recommended that the Secretary of State take necessary action, leading to reports anticipating the imposition of sanctions soon.

The Washington Post reported on April 22, 2024, that Leahy laws have been previously applied to hundreds of foreign police and military units, including those in Colombia, Mexico, and Cambodia.

The newspaper said it is rarely used against a close political ally of the United States, indicating tension in relations between Washington and “Tel Aviv” during the six-month Gaza war.

Despite Washington's announcement of sanctions against Israeli Occupation units, they have not yet been imposed or implemented, raising questions about American hypocrisy and duplicity.

On April 20, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $26.4 billion aid package to "Israel," with the Senate expected to approve the measure, while Joe Biden pledged to sign it into law.

Washington has provided annual military assistance of $3.8 billion to its ally "Israel" for a long time.

Left-wing Democrats criticize the Joe Biden administration's steadfast support for "Israel," saying it gives "Israel" a sense of immunity from punishment.

Why Move Them to Gaza?

This battalion, Netzah Yehuda, is part of the Kfir Brigade, largely composed of radical Jewish forces, currently stationed on the Gaza front after months of operating in the north near the Lebanon border, according to the Times of Israel on April 21, 2024.

Previously, it was permanently stationed in the West Bank, where it was at the heart of many violent crimes against Palestinians.

In early 2024, the battalion began its combat missions in the Gaza Strip for the first time since its establishment, being positioned in border areas and carrying out operations inside the strip.

The Jerusalem Post reported on January 8, 2024, quoting a spokesperson for Netzah Yehuda Battalion, that soldiers from the battalion and other infantry companies were fighting inside the Gaza Strip.

The battalion stormed Beit Hanoun, north of the strip, destroying their anti-tank missile launch sites, observation points, and tunnel passages and killing several militants, according to the Israeli army.

According to a statement by the army on April 20, 2024, "the Netzah Yehuda Battalion is part of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza and operates in accordance with international law."

Israeli army minister Yoav Gallant attempted to support Netzah Yehuda and met with the battalion in the besieged Gaza Strip on April 22, 2024, to tell them in response to the potential U.S. sanctions: "No one in the world will teach us morals."

"The fact that one or two soldiers made a mistake should not lead us to blame the entire battalion," Gallant claimed.

"The place where you are located in Beit Hanoun is to protect the city of Sderot [occupied] from any attack, including raids and missile launches."

The irony is that as soon as Gallant left the area, the resistance in Gaza launched several rockets at Sderot after 200 days of the war in a highly symbolic message.

The battalion consists of extremist right-wing elements from the Haredim and Hilltop Youth groups and is considered the most violent unit within the Israeli military units in dealing with Palestinian civilians.

Its involvement in war crimes and human rights violations has made it susceptible to potential U.S. sanctions and the possibility of being deprived of military aid in all its forms.

According to the Times of Israel, members of this battalion have been involved in many controversial violent incidents and have been convicted in the past of torturing and mistreating Palestinian detainees.

A lengthy investigation by Haaretz into many incidents involving the battalion concluded that it had become a kind of independent militia not subject to army rules.

In a report published on April 21, 2024, it confirmed that Netzah Yehuda Battalion is famous for a long history of bad behavior, driven by an ideology steeped in the settler movement.

Haaretz describes it as a group of violent soldiers who espouse extreme right-wing ideology.

Netzah Yehuda Battalion

Netzah Yehuda Battalion was established so that extremist Orthodox Jews and other religious soldiers could serve without feeling that they were compromising their beliefs, according to the Times of Israel on April 21, 2024.

When Netzah Yehuda Battalion was established in the Israeli army in 1999, it only included men from the Haredim (religious Jews), known for their loyalty to the "State of Israel."

Therefore, the Hebrew media called it the "Haredi Brigade" or "Nahal Haredi," and unlike other soldiers, they were given extra time for prayer and religious study.

Their rabbis are allowed to give daily lessons, and meals are provided according to religious beliefs, with precautions to avoid mixing with female forces.

This brigade was initially a small unit established to encourage Haredi men to enlist in the Israeli army, based on the idea that they would be able to maintain their religious lifestyle.

The name Netzah Yehuda is an acronym for "Haredi Military Youth." It was named after Yehuda Dov Dovfani, the founder of the battalion and also the Givati Brigade.

In 2005, the 97th Battalion of the Kfir Infantry Brigade, which focuses on "combating Palestinian terrorism," was renamed Netzah Yehuda Battalion, according to the Israeli Occupation Forces' description.

The first nucleus of the Nahshon Haredi Brigade consisted of 30 soldiers, as part of a project initiated by the Netzah Yehuda organization in cooperation with the Ministry of the Army, and now about 1000 soldiers serve in it.

The Kfir Brigade is known for its long history of violations and killings against Palestinians, and many of its recruits are continuously involved in many infamous violent incidents, torture, and inappropriate behavior, according to the Israeli independent website 972+ on February 28, 2024.

In addition to the Haredim, the brigade later began to attract extremist right-wing settlers known as the Hilltop Youth, who could not join traditional combat units and were notorious for their hostile actions against Palestinians.

They belong to the extreme right and adopt a racist ideology based on violence and sabotage, based on ideological and political principles that necessitate the establishment of a "pure Jewish state" on what they call "Greater Israel."

Israeli leaders were disturbed by the potential sanctions as they hindered the government's plans to integrate Haredi Jews into the army, particularly since the government is required to provide a final report to the Israeli Supreme Court on April 30 regarding the official enlistment of the Haredim — a matter that arouses anger and division in the Israeli Occupation state.

The Zionist annoyance increased as the Times of Israel revealed on April 21, 2024, that Washington is considering imposing sanctions on other Israeli military and police units believed to have committed violations against Palestinians.

The newspaper quoted unnamed American sources as saying that while much focus is on the behavior of the Israeli army in the West Bank, the conduct of its units operating in Gaza will also be investigated.

The sources pointed out that video clips posted by Israeli soldiers on social media since the beginning of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, show numerous human rights violations.

They also expected other Western countries to follow the United States in punishing Israeli army units, which rights groups have confirmed repeatedly violate the rights of Palestinians in the occupied territories.